Fan modules including fans are often used as part of a cooling system to provide air flow to an electronics enclosure by circulating air from outside through the enclosure. Such fan modules are typically mounted inside the enclosure with an front face of the fan exposed to the space outside the enclosure through an opening in the enclosure. A fan module must be secured to the enclosure to prevent the fan module from coming lose during shipment or operation, due to vibration or other mechanical forces. Accordingly, a fan module can be secured in an enclosure using various mechanical devices.
When a fan module fails or requires maintenance, it must removed from the enclosure. However, mechanisms in the prior art for removably securing a fan module in an enclosure have disadvantages. In some systems, the fan module is secured in the enclosure so that it must be removed from inside the enclosure rather than from the outside, which may require powering down the electronics in the enclosure. In other systems, the fan module is secured in the enclosure using hardware manipulated by a tool such as a screwdriver. In still other systems, a mechanism for securing the fan module within the enclosure may impeded air flow to the fan.